God / Terror

In late modernity theology has to perform an aesthetic turn, if it wants to break out of its current isolation. Theologians cannot limit themselves to biblical texts and Christian tradition as a frame of reference. God/Terror addresses theological concerns in the context of oppression, violence and terror. It looks at how artists and writers approach the relationship between God and the unfathomable. Statements such as that from composer Karl Heinz Stockhausen: “9/11 was the greatest work of art ever” or from South African writer Adam Small: “Only literature can perform the miracle of reconciliation” – are occasions to reflect again about the relationship between ethics and aesthetics, theology and the arts. As in a medieval diptych, the theme is mirroring god talk in memory of 9/11 and in the context of political conflicts in Germany, South Korea and South Africa.